Falling Helplessly episode 5

🔥 FALLING
HELPLESSLY 👠

( For his brother’s friend …. 😇 )
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Written by:- Williams Kendall____✍🏽
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🏈 CHAPTER FIVE🏈

Emmett’s text messages scared me so I sent him my room number right away before I could consider what kind of emergency would require it. My anxiety rose as I thought about possible options… Maybe someone was chasing him and he needed to hideout? What if they follow him here? Oh lord… Before I could spiral too far into the unknown, a loud pounding made me run to open the door.

Emmett stood outside my dorm, p-nting lightly with an erratic gleam in his eyes. Without an invitation, he slammed into the room and tried to catch his breath to speak.

“Thank… god… you are still… wearing my jersey!” I looked down to realize that Emmett was right. I hadn’t taken his jersey off yet. I had been so over-sensitized by the time we got home that I just crashed on the couch without changing.

“Wooo!” his breath wooshed out, “Sorry, Smalls, I had to run here from the field and I don’t have much time! There was another leg of the Rookie Race. We all have to bring our girls to a frat party tonight.”

“Wait what? I’m not going to a party! Why do they need us to go?”

“I don’t know! They don’t tell us rookies shit! We just get orders and we have to follow them or they will make our freshman year hell. But I promise nothing will happen to you. Hazing is about messing with us, not you girls. Look.. please Smalls? I will take you to the party, and the second they declare the race over I will bring you straight back I promise.”

Sighing, I stared down at my toes… I hated parties. And I really didn’t want to do this. But Emmett gave me one of my first true college experiences. Could this be another? “Emmett I need your word you will bring me right back. And I’m gonna see if Madeline wants to come too.”

“Thank you thank you thank you!” He shouted as he swung me around. Dizzy, I went into Madeline’s room to check on her and saw her sprawled out on her bed playing on her phone. Thank goodness she was still done up from the Pep Rally.

“Hey… uhh. Any chance you want to come to a football party? We aren’t going to stay long but I just thought I’d ask.”

Madeline stared at me like I just grew three heads. “Wait, you are inviting me to a party? With Football players…? Hell yeah, I want to go!” I laughed at that. Really… what is happening in the world?

A few minutes later Emmett rushed both of us down a path towards Greek Row. He kept checking the clock on his phone and then pushing a little faster.

Finally, we walked up a driveway to the party. Light and music streamed out of the house while a few people milled around on the lawn. It didn’t seem as crazy as the frat parties I saw in movies so that was positive.

“This was just an impromptu party thrown together to finish the race so it shouldn’t be too crowded,” Emmett said into my ear as we walked into the house. He pulled me into his side and tucked his hand around my wa-ist. I instantly sunk into him, thankful for the comfort that his closeness brought. Madeline walked ahead of us with the utmost confidence. She turned on her heels to let us know she was going to find a drink before waltzing off towards the kitchen.

“Hey, Reynolds you made it!” A tall boy with broad shoulders and olive skin approached us with a red solo cup. “And you brought your girl,” he said when his eyes fell on me. My skin squirmed as he took his time eyeing me up and down like he was appraising me. Finally, he looked back at Emmett with an approving nod.

“Uhhh yeah…” Emmett said awkwardly. “Tyler this is Charlotte, my partner for the race. Charlotte this is Tyler, the tight end on our team.”

“Hello, it’s nice to meet you,” I said softly as I clung to the back of Emmett’s shirt. The boys talked for a short time before we moved forward to greet more of the team. I noticed that every time one of the players said hi to me, they took an awkwardly long amount of time to look me over. Emmett seemed to notice too because his arm tightened around me and when I looked up at him his l-ips were pulled into a tight line.

It’s okay…
Just breath…
Everything will be fine…
Just relax.

I said this mantra over and over again as my anxiety rose up in my throat like bile. The sooner this race was over the better because all I wanted to do was grab Madeline and hightail it out of here.

“What the f-ck are you doing here?” A low voice growled from behind us. Spinning around I came face to—well chest—with Archer. Looking up at him I saw that his face was twisted up in annoyance as he stared down at me. “Rookie why the f-ck did you bring her here?”

“Didn’t you hear Tyler at the end of the Pep Rally?” Emmett asked as he pulled me back a bit from Archer’s glowering presence. Archer noticed that too because he narrowed his eyes at Emmett. “The final challenge of the race was for all of us rookies to bring our girls back here.”

A loud voice interrupted us before we could say any more to each other. “ALL TROJANS! Meet on the back deck for deliberation! Before the true winner of the Rookie Race is crowned!” Tyler yelled from the top of the staircase. Emmett and Archer both stiffened and then looked over at me as though they were unsure how to proceed. I stared back equally stressed as I really didn’t want them to leave me alone.

“Okay look Charlotte,” Archer said as he steered me towards a chair that was pushed against the wall, “you are going to sit right here and not move got it? The second we are done, I’ll come right back and take you home okay?” Anxiety gripped my chest at the thought of being left alone. So instead of speaking, I just nodded as I looked over at Emmett and tried to give him a casual smile. When I turned back to Archer he was staring right into my eyes. He grimaced slightly and then shocked me by placing his hand on my th-gh and giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Okay, we’ll be right back.”

I watched the boys walk down a hallway that led to the back yard and then took stock of my surroundings. All the football players had left so there were only the frat boys that I assumed lived here and the other girls wearing jerseys. Shouting from the kitchen told me that there were more in there. I wanted to go searching for Madeline, but my anxiety had me rooted to the s₱0t.

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“Hey there georgousssss,” a guy said as he dropped down in the seat next to me. “You look thirsty. Here.” A red solo cup was shoved into my face. The man sitting next to me was dressed in tight dark jeans and a beer-stained t-shirt. He had long, greasy, black hair that fell past his ears. His eyes were red and bloodshot and his face had a thin sheen of sweat on it. Leaning forward he dropped his hand on my th-gh and squeezed. Unlike when Archer had just done that, this did not feel like it was meant to make me feel comfortable.

“Oh, Uhm… no thank you, I’m fine,” I squeaked out.

“C’mon drink up, you look like you need to have some fun,” he said again as he shoved the cup in my hand. I was so overwhelmed with what I should do that I took the cup to appease him—but I didn’t take a drink. Looking around for an escape route I couldn’t see anything. No one else seemed to realize or care that I was uncomfortable.

The man’s hand kept running up and down my th-gh as he watched me, and I could feel my senses shutting down. Oh no… The anxiety attack that was creeping up on me was not going to be small or manageable. I needed to find a way to get away from this guy.

“Actually,” I said with my strongest voice, “I was just going to find my friend, so if you’ll excuse me-” I tried to stand up but his large hand stopped me. Looking me straight in the eyes, he smiled.

“Let’s go gorgeous. I just want to make sure everyone’s having fun. Take a drink and I’ll go find your friend for you.” My chest tightened as he grabbed my hand and brought the cup up to my l-ips forcibly. Fear gripped me as I tried to keep a clear mind, but my vision was already blurred from unshed tears and my body acted on its own accord. Liquid sloshed against my l-ips and I took a drink before yanking my head back with a cough. He seemed satisfied that I had finally had some of the alcohol so he got up and with a wink he sauntered away from me.

Once he was gone, my body relaxed back into the chair. I spent a few minutes taking deep breaths and trying to quietly ground myself as some of the anxiety seeped away. Knowing I needed to find Madeline soon, I tried to stand up but my head spun and I fell back down.

What the heck..? I tried to look around but I couldn’t clearly focus on anything—it was as though my head was under water. My body was so heavy that it seemed impossible to stand up.

Panic set in as I realized this was not the effects of one sip of alcohol. I needed help and I needed it now.

Putting all of my strength and determination bethind me, I managed to push myself up until I was standing. My eyes locked on the hallway that I had seen the boys walk down and I stumbled towards it. The hallway was dark but I could see a door on the other end with a light shining through.

Every step I made towards the door took every ounce of my energy. I could barely keep my eyes open but I knew I had to keep pushing forward. I sent out a silent prayer that I was headed in the right direction for help and reached for the doorknob.

My body slammed into the door as I tried to turn the knob. My coordination was completely off and my hand could barely keep the grip.

I finally felt the knob turn and click. With a grateful sigh I went to push the door open but before I could a hand snapped tightly on my wrist and then everything went black.
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ARCHER’S POV :

“Okay look Charlotte,” I said as I grabbed her small shoulders and pushed her towards an open chair, “you are going to sit right here and not move got it? The second we are done back there I’ll come right back and take you home okay?”

I watched as she tried to smile towards the rookie. I could tell she hated this. Charlotte had always been a quiet girl and I never saw her in any social settings alone. She was surrounded by her family or those two annoying girls. Either way, it was like she was a princess that needed to be guarded.

When she looked back towards me her eyes almost did me in. The large brown orbs were so filled with worry that I felt some primal caveman urge to grab her and protect her. I grimaced at that thought. She wasn’t my girl or my responsibility even. Besides, she was sitting in the middle of a crowded room, what’s the worst that could happen?

Without really meaning to, I reached out and placed my hand on her th-gh. She was wearing jean shorts and I was thrown by how soft her skin was. I really wanted to run my hand up higher but stopped myself. What the f-ck am I doing? This is Ollie’s little sister. So instead I gave her a little squeeze and said, “Okay, we’ll be right back.”

I followed the rookie out the back door, flexing my hand to release the residual heat that lingered from Charlotte’s th-gh. By the looks of it, the rest of our team were already here. Wanting to get this over with as quickly as possible I stayed back by the door and waited. Tyler was standing in the middle of the deck smirking at everyone so I assumed that whatever idiotic plan tonight held was his doing.

“Alright, boys!” Tyler began, “It’s time to decide who the true winner of the Rookie Race is! Obviously, we couldn’t do this at the Pep Rally since Dean Thomas has been cracking down on hazing rituals. But thanks to our Sigma Pi bros we were able to do this here.”

I rolled my eyes. Of course, this was some dumb hazing thing. My thoughts wandered to Charlotte currently wearing a rookie’s jersey… If Tyler’s idiotic plan included the girls getting hazed too he had another thing f-cking coming. “So why the f-ck did they have to bring the girls here Tyler?” I spat from my s₱0t in the back.

“Patience Johnson… I’m getting there. So, boys, each rookie brought a girl here tonight wearing their jersey. It is now our job to decide which girl is the hottest. The most f-ckable, if you will. The rookie that brought the hottest girl is the official winner of the Rookie Race and doesn’t have to do DD duties for the next three parties. Now let’s hear it! Who do y’all think wins?”

I felt my blood boil at the thought of them all staring at Charlotte like a piece of meat. I glared over at that idiot rookie Matt-or-whatever for bringing her here. I was slightly appeased that he looked just as pissed as me but I wasn’t letting him off the hook yet.

“I vote for #2! Her tits were f-cking huge.”

“No way man Tyson’s girl was a babe.”

“Yeah right boys, Emmett’s girl takes it for me.”

“The little one? She looks like a prude, she barely smiled.”

“Those are the best ones man, the hot V-rgins.” My shoulders tensed when I realized that they were talking about Charlotte. f-ck this bullshit.

“Charlotte is off-limits,” I said before I could stop myself. My voice was low but it cut through the bullshit instantly and everyone turned to look at me.

“Uhhh,” Tyler stared at me for a second, “You putting claims on that one, QB?”

“I’m not putting claims on shit. I’m just telling you that anyone who lays one finger on that girl is going to have to deal with me.” My teammates all stared at me with shock and apprehension. They had all, at some point, experienced what, “Dealing with me” entailed and I’m sure none of them want to do it again. I had also never showed any interest in a girl before, except for one night stands. Interest? Is that where these f-cking urges to protect Charlotte come from? Am I interested in her?

No way. I mean f-ck, she’s hot obviously. But she’s my best friend’s little sister and a family friend. We may not be close but this is definitely coming from some sense of responsibility to her family.

The boys slowly started to deliberate again, but no one mentioned Charlotte so I tuned them out. As I leant against the door I felt the knob jiggle against my back. I turned slightly to see if anyone was coming out, but the door didn’t open.

I furrowed my brow when I heard a thump on the other side. Was someone listening to us? That’s all we needed was for someone to overhear the entire USC Football team acting like s-xist pigs. I stepped back to swing the door open but when my hand reached for the knob I felt someone on the other side turn it as well.

“Oh my god, Charlotte?! Charlotte! f-ck! Someone help me!”

As soon as the shrill voice of a girl rang out, I swung the door open and froze at what I saw. Charlotte was slumped on the ground practically unconscious as her roommate stood over her trying to yank her back up. I could feel my teammates crowding around me but all I focused on was Charlotte.

“I think she has been drugged or something!” Her roommate yelled at us, “She needs to get to a hospital!” Those words spurred me into action and I felt the logic return to my body. Swooping down I grabbed Charlotte and held her close to my chest. Her head bobbed slightly as she tried to look at me which made me feel a tiny bit better.

“Okay, ALL ROOKIES!” I yelled instantly getting the freshman’s attention. “You are all going to find the girls you brought here and get them home safe. And for f-ck sakes make sure they are coherent.” I didn’t stop to check if they had listened to me before continuing, “You!” I shouted at the rookie that brought Charlotte, “take Charlotte’s roommate home.” Finally, I turned to the rest of my team who all stared back at me with faces that mirrored my own anger. “Shut this f-cking party down. And if you find anyone with roofies beat the shit out of them and get me their name.”

Not wanting to waste another second I held Charlotte tight and raced around the house to my truck. As I moved to the passenger seat to buckle her in, Charlotte began mumbling against my shoulder.

“Shhhh it’s okay Charlotte I’m going to get you help just try to stay awake,” I said in the most soothing voice I could muster up. Once she was buckled I booked it around the truck and hopped in. I took one quick breath to calm my nerves because I knew it wouldn’t help Charlotte if I couldn’t get her to the hospital in once piece. Then we were off.

“A-Arch…?” I heard the softest mumble come from the passenger seat.

“Hey yeah sweetheart I’m here,” I said as I kept my eyes locked on the road.

“Arch..er…don’t…tell….don’t…tell…”

“It’s okay Charlotte just breath and try to stay awake for me.”

“No!” She said louder, pulling my gaze from the road to check on her. She was slumped into a pile in the bucket seat but she was trying to keep her eyes locked on me.

“Okay Charlotte, it’s okay. What were you trying to say? Don’t tell? Don’t tell who?” As I said it I realized who she most likely meant, “Don’t tell your parents?”

Charlotte let out a soft sigh and closed her eyes briefly as she nodded. All of the energy left her body as she melted lower. It was like she had only been staying awake to tell me that. f-ck. Don’t tell her parents that their daughter is in danger? I don’t know if I can do that.

Deciding to cross that bridge when I came to it I pushed on the gas and continued on. Finally, I could see the lights of the Emergency entrance shining in front of me as I swung my car into a space and shot out of my seat. I ripped open Charlotte’s door and tried to keep my panic at bay when I saw she was completely out now. Her chest lifted up and down but it looked slow and laboured.

I scooped her back into my arms and ran through the doors. I must have made a commotion because a nurse came running over instantly with a questioning gaze.

“I think she has been drugged,” I p-nted, “Please help her!”

“Alright sir just place her on that stretcher and we will get her help,” The nurse replied evenly. I turned to the stretcher against the wall and gently placed Charlotte down on the sheets. I felt so helpless now that we were here and there was nothing else I could do. So I just stood there staring at her, trying to calm my breathing down, and brushing her hair with my fingers.

More nurses were running towards us, and I knew they were about to pull her away from me. So before they could, I leant down and k-ssed Charlotte’s temple.

“You’re going to be okay Sweetheart, just hold on.”

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TBC

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